Improvement in tobacco-cutters



. 2 sheets-sheet 1. w. H. PEASE.

Tobac'co Cutter.

Nfe. 41,637. Patented Feb. 16,1864.

N PE ERS. mlo'hlhngraphflr. wuhin tm D. c.

5 represents one of the cog-shafts.

' whole length. ranged as to form between themselves a throat, the widest portion of which is at'the v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\V. H. PEASE, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN TOBACCO-CUTTERSQ Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 11,637, dated February 16, 1864.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, \V. H. PEASE, of the town of Daytonand State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tobacco-Cutters; andI hereby deelare that the following is a true and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to'theletters of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of any machine. Fig. 2 represents a plan view. Fig. 3 is a 101lglt-l1dll1t1l vertical section through line .00 ac in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side elevation opposite to the side elevation in Fig. 1. Fig.

Fig. 6 represents a section of the endless-chain belt.

The nature of my invention consists in constructing a machine (for the manufacture of fine-cut tobacco in such a manner that the tobacco shall be fed by and between a pair of chain-belts so arranged as to form a graduallycontracting threat for feeding and compressing the tobacco, so as to be more readily and finer cut by the cutter operating at the outlet of the 'throat; also, in the construction of the endless chain belts; also, inthe mode of altering the gearing so as to feed the tobacco with different velocities, according to the required fineness of the cutting; and in the general and particular arrangement of the several devices, all of which is hereinafter fully set forth.

In the drawings, Gr indicates the rectangular frame-work of cast-iron.

Vand WV are metallic platforms built within the frame G and reaching nearly across its These platforms are so arend farthest from the cutter; thence they conver o to their centerthence the are arallel is 1 y p a thus forming a gradually-contracting throat. (See Fig. 3.) Near the outer ends of these platforms, and a little beyond them, are rollers q and T, and near their inner ends are cog-shafts p and One of the endlessehain belts, S, passes over the platform V and roller 1 and cog-shaft I. The other belt, R, in like manner incloses platform W, roller T, and cog-shaft 1". hen the machine is in operation, the cog-shafts feed the two belts over and hug the faces of the platforms, so

which constantly compresses and swallows dischargesitat the outlet as it is by the revolving cutters.

O is the revolving hub upon the main shaft of the machine. This hub is provided with two wings, G (which have cutters r 1,) extending beyond the hub sufficiently to pass "the outlet oflthe throat, so that when the hub revolves its cutters may strike and grate past the, outlet, and thus shear or shave oil! the tobacco as it is forced out by'the chams' R and S. r

F is the main shaft, having its bearings at t t in the frame G, and extending beyond the frame, so as to receive thehub 0. Upon this shaft is the main ,driving-pulleylli and its loose pulley N. Parallel with these pulleys, and quite near them, is a rock-shaft, B having its bearings in two studs extending out from the frame G. This shaft is provided with a sliding sleeve, D. A screw or stud, 1, passes throughthis sleeve into a groove (see red lines) in the rock'shaft, so as to allow the sleeve to slide laterally but without turning upon the rock-shaft. The sleeve is provided with a fork, w, for slipping the belt from the fixed to the loose pulley, and vice versa. Upon the end of the shaft B is a-frictionbrake, (I, which operates upon the rim of the driving-pulley M. 1

a is a hand-lever affixed to the sleeve D, by which the sleeve is moved laterally, so as to ship or unship the belt, or to press the brake down upon the pulley, so as to speedily stop the motion of the machine.

E is a cross-shaft, throughwhich motion is conveyed to the belts R and S. This sh aft is provided with a large gear-wheel, A which is driven by one of the worms y or s on shaft F. 'Th'ese worms slide upon their shaft, so that they can be readily put in or out of gear and z is constructed with three distinctthreads, so that when in gear it will advance wheel A. three cogs at each revolution. Worm 9 has but one thread, and when it is in gear one of its revolutions advances the wheel A'flonly one cog.

Upon the oppositeextremity of shaft E see Figs. 1 and 2) is a gear-wheel, 1 secured bya washer and thumb-screw, so that it maybe rcthat by this device have formed a threat,

that tobacco which is fed into the mouth and v shaved off,

be held as desired by the screws 22. \Vornr provided with movable bearings, as will be set forth. Upon one side of the frame are fixed ways or strips f, so as to'form'a groove or dovetailed slot, k, of a curve described by a radius whose center is at d. e are similar ways nearer the center d, having a similar and concentric slot, 6

g is a piece .of metal having three radiating arms, somewhat in shape like a letter Y. It swings on shaft d as a pivot, and is provided witha stud, I,'at the junction of the three arms. Its upper extremities are provided with suitable slides and bolts, m and 0, work-- ing in the slots k and e.

B is a Y-shapedbar, pivoted and partially oscillating upon axle d, and secured at the ends of its forks to the center and one extremity of plate 9 by means of bolts 0 and I. It will thus be'seen that bar B and plate 9 together constitute a swinging frame, pivoted at d, so that when it is elevated it will carry with it the wheel D, so as to allow a larger or smaller wheel to be substituted for wheel a. When the substitution has been made, the bolts 0 and m are tightened and the bearing I becomes sufiiciently steady. The small wheel L now takes into the large wheel A, upon whose axle is secured the small wheel-b which gears into the wheel 12. upon the end of cog-shaft p, and wheel at in turn gears into wheel 0 .upon the end of cog-shaft p. 7

There is a collar, 0 to thegear-wheel A and it is secured to the shaft E by a set-screw working in a circumferential groove, so as to preclude longitudinal sliding upon the shaft, I

and to admit of its loosely turning thereon when not held by, the, clutch. Oneend of this collar is of theusual form of a clutch. Q is a clutch. coinciding with the serrated end of collar 0 and sliding upon shaft E By means of a screw and slot it is allowed to slide upon, but is prevented from turning around, the shaft. v

H is the usual clutch-fork for engaging or disengaging the clutch. The clutch is disengaged to stop the feeding operation.

The endless-chain belts R and S are each composed of several (four or more) chains arranged side by side until a-belt of sufiicient width is formed. It will be seen that there. are cavities (4 4 in Fig. 3) at the articulations between ,the contiguous links, forming the chains; Now, the several chains composing the belt are arranged side by side in such a manner as to break'jointsand thus avoid continuouscavities across the face of the belts. (See Figs. 2 and 6.) \Vere these cavities or depressions continuous, the tobacco, which is under great pressure, would lodge in them,-

and portions of it be arrested in its onward motion to the cutters, and would also seriously tend to clog the action of the machine. The construction of the links is such as to admit of the action of the cog-shafts upon the linkknuckles in the most favorable manner. (See Fig. 3.) These cog-shafts p and p are composed of four cog-wheels upon a shaft, so con structed (see Fig.5) as to break joints like the belts, in order that the belts may be fed forward without disarrangement'.

The belts are tightened as follows: The rollers q and T, over which the belts pass, are provided with sliding journal-boxes f, which slide in suitable groovesin frame G and fillet UL When I wish to tighten the belts, I have only to drive the wedges s s, which work between the lugs on the inner ends of the sliding bearings and the shoulders s '3 and the bear ings are forced outward, thus moving the rollers q and T farther from the cog-shafts and distending the belts. Power being applied by belt to pulley M, the cutters are made to revolve with great rapidity, while at the same time, by reason of the descending system of gearing, the feeding and compressing belts are moved forward very slowly. The course of power is as follows: from pulley M on shaft F, through worm 3 (or 2,) to large wheel A on shaft E thence through small wheel a to large wheel D, thence through small wheel L on shaft of D to large wheel A, thence through small wheel I) on shaft of A to small wheel it upon the cog-shaft p thence to the wheel 0 of like size upon the other cogshaft p.

I Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The, combination of the belts R and S, d and platforms V and "W, composing a gradually=contraetingthroat for compressing and feeding the tobacco, constructed and operat ing substantially as herein described. 7 2. The belts R and S, when constructedas described, and in combination with a cutting device for cutting tobacco.

3. The swinging frame B y, composed of bar B, and plate 9, constructed and operating substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth.

4. The rock-shaft B, in combination with brake d, sleeve D, and lever a, for the pur W. H. PEASE.

Witnesses:

T. F. INGALLs, J os. W. CLAYTON. 

